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Showing posts from 2017

OMS API update version 1.9 - Erf No & Block

An update has been made for the  OMS API ,  version 1.9. It is documented in our  OMS API documentation . Retrieve Erf No & Block  You can now retrieve two new fields on individual property calls: https://omsflow.docs.apiary.io/#reference/property/property-details/view-property - Erf Number (e.g.  "location_erfno","1212" ) - Block (e.g.  "location_block","A" ) Module 1 access is required. The OMS API can be used to extract data from the  OMS  to external systems. It is included free of charge to all clients.  Clients can generate their own API keys  for web developers. 

Local search is shrinking - here is how to direct traffic to your site

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Despite the rise of e-commerce, the majority of shopping still happens locally. A study from May 2014 showed that 72% of consumers who searched for local info on a smartphone visited stores within eight kilometres of home - and this year data shows consumers stay even closer. So what does this mean for your marketing efforts? As a real estate agent, we are all trying to become the neighbourhood expert and one of the ways to establish yourself as an expert is by popping up in search results. There are two ways to achieve this - making sure your agency has a Google My Business listing and by ensuring you are providing vital area information on your website . Here we take a look at how to approach hyper-local advertising and here we find out more about the importance of Google My Business. Local agencies must adjust their marketing reach to account for the small radius of their audience. However, that audience might include local residents, commuters who work nearby or out-o

OMS API update version 1.8 - retrieve listing files

An update has been made for the  OMS API ,  version 1.8. It is documented in our  OMS API documentation . Retrieve property listing files You can now retrieve files stored on property listings using: https://omsflow.docs.apiary.io/#reference/property/property-files Files retrieved: 1) In the OMS, all files saved and marked as 'public files'  2) In the OMS, files specifically programmed to be made available through the OMS API. This can include brochures, files marked saved ofr internal access or any other custom programmed files for a specific office.  Files are made available through URL links and in the case of the programmed files (2) made available for 30 days, after the link will self-destruct. Module 3 access, which also provides access to notes, is required. The OMS API can be used to extract data from the  OMS  to external systems. It is included free of charge to all clients.  Clients can generate their own API keys  for web developers. 

4 Social media mistakes real estate agents make

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By now real estate agents realise that social media is an essential part of their successful agency - it attracts new leads, helps you stay informed and is a powerful way to build brand awareness. However, there are still mistakes being made daily that can cost you potential business. We take a look at these mistakes and how to rectify them. Sharing the wrong content While sharing content is one of the quickest and easiest ways to build brand awareness and strengthen client relationships, sharing content that you didn’t write or create can cost you business. Especially if you are sharing content created by your competitors. Content is created and marketed with the sole purpose of attracting and collecting valuable leads. Therefore, if you are pushing other people's content on your prospects and customers, you are actually pushing them towards the competitor. So how do you fix this? By creating content for your real estate website! This doesn’t just have to be articles eit

New look for Entegral Flex theme

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Our creative thinking is not just applied to our industry-leading tech to make your responsive real estate website load faster, deliver more accurate results and provide you with a powerful online marketing tool. We also apply it to design better-looking websites to ensure your site doesn’t just work great but also looks great. With that in mind, we have updated and revamped one of the variations of our Elegant theme . The upgrade has enhanced the way the featured properties are displayed on your Flex responsive website - making for an overall better user experience. Current clients with this variation of the theme will now see the change on their website, while new clients will automatically have their featured properties displayed in this format. As always all our Entegral Flex real estate websites are responsive and backed by the cloud and managed by our Office Management System. Take a look at the theme in action by visiting some of the sites already using this variation on t

Black Friday deals on our Entegral Flex products and services

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Black Friday is here and we have incredible savings for new and existing real estate clients! Read on for all the details on these one-time-only deals! 50% discount on cutting edge responsive websites for your office If you are on the hunt for a new real estate website for your agency, we are offering a whopping 50% discount on our Fresh, Folio, Momento and Elegant themed responsive Flex website packages . Packages include setup and all extras! Elegant Option 1 Elegant Option 2 Folio Fresh Momento Fresh & Folio normal setup fee price R1999, today you will pay R999,50. Elegant & Moment normal setup fee price R2999, today you will pay R1499.50. *Normal monthly hosting fees and additional feature monthly fees still apply. 50% discount on cutting edge responsive websites for your agent website Agents using the OMS under an office or in their own capacity can order an Agent Website and pay 50% less for the first year, thus you will o

Plan your real estate content ahead for the holidays

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The holiday season is upon us and with that comes a well-deserved break, but don’t let your news section go stale in the time you’re away. Write your blogs ahead of time and schedule them to publish on your website. Scheduling your blog Before we cover a few topics to get through the holiday season, we take a look at how you can schedule your posts to be published on your website. It really is as easy as selecting a date and time from your OMS dashboard. Once you have written your post, select the date and time as shown below and hit the save button. That is all you have to do! Real estate blog topics for the holidays End of year recap and an overview of what to expect in the coming year Create a year-in-review broken down by neighbourhood, type of home or other criteria. If you want to get fancy, you might create an infographic or chart for easy sharing as well. You can use our suburb reports to find the data you are looking for! Local lights and events Inclu

How to get your real estate clients to write a review

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No doubt you’re providing the best service, but how do you ensure a quality experience translates into a positive review online? Getting a customer to take the time to share his or her thoughts can seem challenging, but there are a number of strategies you can utilize to increase the odds that reviews will be posted. Why do I need online reviews? Consumers are increasingly relying on the Internet to obtain information about businesses. Reviews not only serve as a guide to customers but also provide free advertising. Your customers can be valuable references for people they don’t even know, just by posting their experiences on your public profiles. Get followers on social media Having a following on social media speaks wonders for your brand. A strong digital following shows that customers are satisfied with your business and more importantly, they want to continue that relationship. After you’ve worked with someone, you should think about reaching out on social media to thank

There is no digital replacement for good service

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While online tools can serve as an excellent supplement to any real estate agency, they are by no means a replacement for traditional quality service. Here are five key components of good service that will never go out of style: 1. Go the extra mile Unfortunately, many real estate agencies these days do not make customer service a priority. As a result, they end up having mediocre service that leaves clients and customers frustrated. Therefore, if you choose to prioritize good service, you will differentiate yourself from the competition and customers will appreciate you for it. A little extra effort goes a long way, so show your clients that you care, and you will be creating a positive relationship that could last a lifetime. 2. Maintain strong internal communication If you don’t have your act together within the company, it will be immediately obvious to the outside world. So in order to achieve good customer service, start from the inside out. The first step is to organize you

Real estate photography mistakes to avoid

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A study by Redfin asked the question - what is the true benefit of professional quality listing photographs? The answer was that listing a home with professional quality photos not only sell the home faster but for more money. Here are the top mistakes to avoid to ensure you have the best photos of your listing. Don’t be smart Yes, your smartphone has a great camera...but, not for real estate photography. Put the phone back and get an entry-level digital camera. Your listings will thank you. This is an actual listing photo | source Play with the camera or sign-up for a course to ensure you get the most out of your camera. Your business will thank you because you are not investing in yourself but investing in lead conversion. Why lead conversion? Who wouldn’t want to work with an agent that puts that much effort into marketing a home? Tell a story The Entegral Office Management System (OMS) allows you to organise your photos in a specific order - use this to your benefit

OMS API update version 1.7 - inactive properties

An update has been made for the  OMS API , version 1.7. It is documented in our  OMS API documentation . Retrieve inactive properties You can now retrieve properties made inactive for the last 3 months using the following call: https://omsflow.docs.apiary.io/#reference/property/inactive-properties-collection Retrieve all property addresses Under permission https://omsflow.docs.apiary.io/#introduction/authentication we've added a new module 5 "Access all property addresses". This can be enabled in the OMS to provide your developer with access to all property address info (unit number, complex name, street number and street name) for the property details (https://omsflow.docs.apiary.io/#reference/property/property-details/view-property?console=1) irrespective of whether you've checked the 'make map location' checkbox in the OMS for a listing. We've also included a new field 'location_makepublic' to indicate whether the agent has given permission to

Real Estate Marketing SEO trends to watch in 2018

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As we reach the fourth quarter of 2017, it’s time to start thinking about the year ahead and what to expect from SEO in 2018. Here are some of the trends you should be keeping an eye on in order to stay ahead of the curve. Voice search and digital assistants  Voice search technology presents a big opportunity for changing the way we communicate and process information. The rise of digital assistants has presented a growing market that can change the way search queries are performed. According to Google, 1 out of 5 searches already come from voice queries. The rise of voice search brings out the need to focus on more long-tail search keywords and a natural language that matches the user’s conversational tone. As accuracy improves in digital assistants, there will be more people using voice search from their mobile devices, seeking for quick and relevant answers. It becomes important to research the voice user intent will provide more accurate results, helping the algorithms

Real estate agents: do you know your target market?

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Not all home buyers are created equally - each has their own set of wants and needs, and if you want your marketing to be effective, you’ll have to know who you are marketing to. Before thinking about embarking on a marketing campaign or strategy, you must understand your target audience. In order to create the most effective campaign, each message must work together with the last and also be tailored to the same target market. Failing to do this could result in valuable capital being wasted with little results. Saying that ‘home buyers’ is your target audience is not wrong, however, you can be assured that trying to market to an audience this broad will only cost you more than generating the leads you want. As a real estate agent or any business owner for that matter, you must fully understand your audience. If you sell homes upwards of R5 million, don’t assume your target is anyone with a net worth of over R20 million. Someone looking to live in a sought-after golf estate wit

3 steps to creating a memorable show house experience

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While virtual tours have their place in the industry, in-person show days are still vital for the real estate industry. However, the way show days are presented and done can be enhanced to ensure the entire experience is extraordinary. There are many other real estate professionals ready to take your client the moment you blink, but also a few simple things you can do to ensure that your client clearly sees the difference between you and your competitors. Branded from the start You are already representing your real estate brand with your on show boards, but you can go even further. Branded brochures that visitors can take home with them, create info packets with the brochure, information on the area and other relevant information. You should also consider how you present yourself - after all, you are also your own brand. Dress professionally, have your business card on hand and be ready to answer all the questions your visitors might have. Being prepared is not just good for

3 no-cost ways to improve the client experience

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The little details are what makes the biggest impact  - even more so when you have a service driven business like a real estate agency. Real estate is much more than just brick and mortar - it is about selling the neighbourhood, the lifestyle they will have in their new property, the dreams the investment will fulfil. And you, as real estate agent play a vital role in all of this - and whether it is a positive or negative role depends on the level of service they receive. You can spend thousands of rands on marketing, but if there is no service, the client won’t use you or recommend you. Remember how we spoke about word-of-mouth marketing and social proof? Those are vital to your business. So how can you improve your client-experience without spending even more money? Communication We get it - days are busy, filled with new listings, paperwork and everything else that needs to be done. However, communication is one of the most important factors that influence how a client

Factors that influence the credibility of your website

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You’ll never generate more leads or attract more visitors to your website if it isn’t credible - but what determines the credibility of your website and what influences it? In our latest blog, we take a look at what influences your credibility and what you can do to build and maintain it. Visitors are skeptical from the get-go Scientists from Microsoft Research analyzed page-visit duration for 205,873 web pages (with more than 10,000 visits to each page). Using data from a popular web browser plugin, they were able to find the answer They found that 99 percent of web pages have a negative ageing effect*. When website visitors hit your landing page, they’re skeptical. They’re quickly scanning the page looking for a reason to abandon your site. Get your website visitors past the 30-second mark and they’ll spend a lot more time on your site. So how do you get them to stay longer? Credibility! They are looking for signals that show your organization is reliable, trustworthy, a

OMS API updates version 1.6 - Commercial Fields

An update has been made for the  OMS API  version 1.6. It is documented in our  OMS API documentation . Over 20 commercial fields has now been added to the property details view. Details can be found here: http://docs.omsflow.apiary.io/#reference/property/property-details/view-property The OMS API can be used to extract data from the OMS to external systems. It is included free of charge to all clients. Clients can generate their own API keys for web developers. 

The four writing mistakes to steer clear of when writing for your real estate blog

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A high-quality real estate blog is one of the most powerful marketing tools a real estate agent and agency can use right now. People want answers to their burning questions and turning to search engines to find them. Make sure your blog is used right by avoiding these four costly mistakes. Full steam ahead, all the time Somewhere along the line, it became commonplace to say that a blog or news section is only valuable if new posts are shared every day. This is not entirely true. The truth is consistent posting is important but the quality is much more so. There is no magic number for how often to post blogs, but ensuring that each blog is high quality and posts are consistent can do wonders for building a strong audience. Depending on your staff, your workload, and your audience’s needs, this might mean posting once a week, twice a week, or more often. Not sharing your hard work If you are writing quality blogs but not sharing them you are losing out on vital business. Shari

Simple tips for maximizing your boosted Facebook posts

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Boosted posts on Facebook is a great way to start your real estate social media advertising journey to extend the reach of your posts to an audience that perhaps does not yet follow your page. Here is how to really get the bang for your buck when boosting posts. When you are trying to make your advertising budget go as far as possible, your boosted posts need to be efficient in order to achieve the desired results. There are three simple ways of ensuring that you make every boost count, namely knowing what works, being patient and knowing your target.  Working with what works the best To ensure that your ad spend is lasting a bit longer, you need to be selective with what you choose to promote. Posts that already have a fair amount of organic attention will always outperform those that do not. In short, a post that already is reaching a large audience organically will continue that trend once boosted. With this in mind, it makes sense that this simple consideration is the most

OMS API updates version 1.5 - Updated Fields

Herewith a list of enhancements made to the  OMS API  version 1.5. It is also documented in our  OMS API documentation . 1. The properties collection  /properties  now includes an  updated  attribute indicating the last time changes were made to the property listing e.g. {         "property_id": 1007346,         "status": 56,         "updated": "2017-08-01 09:47" } 2. The property details call  /properties/property_id  now includes the update time for each photo. All photos are now also served via HTTPS by default, e.g.  {             "url_thumb": "https://s3.entegral.net/p/t1031565_50e78e61-f613-41cb-861e-b45218c360141.jpg",             "url_large": "https://s3.entegral.net/p/1031565_50e78e61-f613-41cb-861e-b45218c360141.jpg",             "updated": "2017-09-12 10:17"         },         {             "url_thumb": "https://s3.entegral.net/p/t1031565_034a5e51-65d8-4e45-aaeb